Simulation and sepsis: What is the best evidence?

Abstract

Introduction and objective: Simulation is used for training physicians by practicing cognitive skills in situations of crisis and for identifying problems by constructive resolution. Sepsis is a disease whose incidence and mortality are high. The use of simulation was evaluated in comparison with traditional education, in order to improve adherence to the different Surviving Sepsis Campaign bundles. Materials and methods: A systematic review of the literature, of the qualitative and integrative type, was carried out. Multiple primary databases, databases of systematic reviews, and metasearch engines were used. The MeSH terms were “medical,” “simulation,” “training,” and “sepsis” in articles published over the period from January 1990 to June 2014. Exclusion criteria were applied, whose quality was assessed by the modified STROBE instrument. Publication and selection biases were taken into consideration. Results: Nineteen studies were identified in the main search. Three articles were excluded for reasons of language. Of the 16 potentially eligible articles, ten studies were rejected by the exclusion criteria. The STROBE instrument was applied to the remaining six articles; two of them were excluded due to low scores. Conclusions: Simulation is an efficient method for teaching in sepsis. The development of high-quality studies is required, in order to identify the optimal method for improving adherence to the different Surviving Sepsis Campaign bundles.